Vietnam successfully tests flights of unmanned aircraft

HANOI, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Made-in-Vietnam unmanned aerial vehicles successfully flew over Vietnam's Central Highlands Lam Dong province, local media reported.

Specifically, after three days of tests, from May 17-19, in Da Lat city and Lac Duong district of Lam Dong province, six vehicles made by the Vietnam Space Technology Institute, under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), successfully made 37 flights, local Van Hoa The Thao (Culture and Sports) newspaper reported on Sunday.

The unmanned aircraft carrying cameras, spectrometers and other necessary devices took off from the Cam Ly military air port, during which they recorded over 300 images of high-resolution about the current conditions of the forest resources and water surface in Lam Dong province.

The aircraft were flying automatically without ground control system.

A report by State-run Vietnam News Agency quoted Chau Van Minh, director of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, as saying that the aircraft were equipped with several devices made by VAST.

The devices are expected to collect important information serving natural resource management and forest coverage calculation and other data, said the director, adding that the flights will help scientists prepare better for the coming tests scheduled for the central coastal areas, and also pave the way for made-in-Vietnam unmanned aircraft to perform other necessary tasks.